


Kitten Cuddles

by hogwartsahoy



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Animals, Cat, Family Fluff, First Pet, Fluff, Gen, Kitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25323061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartsahoy/pseuds/hogwartsahoy
Summary: Ginny brings home a surprise for James, Albus and Lily – their first pet, a kitten.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Kitten Cuddles

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea when I was rereading Chamber of Secrets a few weeks ago, and I really love how this one turned out. I'm a huge cat lover myself, and the idea of Ginny bringing a kitten into the family and seeing how they'd all deal with it was one I really loved. Enjoy!

“ _What_ is that?” Harry raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ginny, who had just entered the kitchen, windswept from the storm brewing outside, cheeks flushed, yet a grin on her face as she looked down at the bundle in her arms.

Ginny glanced up at him. “Shh. You’ll wake up the kids, and it’s a surprise.”

James, Albus and Lily were all fast asleep in the living room. Harry had set them up with a muggle movie a few hours ago and all of them had fallen asleep not long after it had started. James had been up half the night helping Lily get back to sleep after a nightmare, and Albus had been up reading, all without waking up _either_ of their parents.

Harry shook his head and stood up from the kitchen table. He wandered over to Ginny. “I remember back in our second year, when Mrs Norris got petrified, you got really upset. Ron thought it was just because you loved cats. Is that what’s brought this on?”

In her arms, bundled up in a small blanket, was a small grey kitten.

“Partly,” Ginny relented. She _did_ love cats. “But I just… thought it would be nice for the children to have a pet. Lily loves cats. I think we might have to make sure James isn’t too rough with him, but Albus should be gentle enough. It’ll be good for them.”

Harry didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he trusted Ginny. “Go on, then. Let’s surprise them.”

They entered the living room where the three children were still sleeping soundly. When Harry carefully shook James awake, he’d expected the eight-year-old, who was the loudest and most boisterous of the family, to make a rather loud fuss about the kitten, but was surprised when he sat up sleepily, mumbled a quiet “ _Whaaat?_ ” and then caught sight of the kitten in his mothers arms. Instead of yelling, his mouth dropped into a gape and he gasped softly.

Without even realising it, James had reached over to shake Lily _and_ Albus awake, still asleep on either side of him. The other two woke up in the shadow of sleep, rubbing their eyes as they sat up, Albus seeming a little grumpy to be awake in the first place, until he, too, spotted the kitten in Ginny’s arms.

Surprisingly, Lily was the most excited of the three of them. Her gasp was loudest and she jumped up to stand on the couch instantly. She pointed at the kitten. “What is that?!”

Harry’s lips twitched. She’d had the same reaction as he had, at the young age of 4.

Ginny knelt down in front of her and held the kitten out just a little. It looked straight at Lily and let out the smallest, sweetest meow.

Lily gasped again. “It made a noise! Is it a baby cat?!”

“Mmhmm,” Ginny confirmed. “Do you wanna pet it? Be gentle.”

Lily held out not a hand, but a finger. She touched the top of the kittens head once, and then drew her finger away. She looked between Harry and Ginny. “That’s okay?”

Harry knelt down beside Ginny. “That was great, honey.”

He looked up and saw James, watching them intently. Ginny shuffled over a little until she was sat between Albus and James. Harry stayed kneeling on the floor in front of them.

“Can I pet it?” James asked, surprisingly softly.

“Of course.”

James held out a hand instead of a finger and gently touched the kitten between the ears. It was the softest and most gentle Harry had ever seen James before, and it surprised him immensely. He was gentle with Albus and Lily, of course, but it was a new level of it with the kitten. James smiled, full of joy, as he pet the kitten.

“What are we gonna name it?” James asked.

“I don’t know. I was thinking we could all come up with a name together,” Ginny replied. She looked over at Albus. “What do you think, Albus? Do you wanna pet her, too?”

The kitten looked up at Albus and meowed softly, just like it had done with Lily, and Harry watched as Albus’ worried face broke into a small smile. His middle son had always been the most gentle of all of them, even more gentle than Lily, but Harry was surprised to see that Albus didn’t raise a hand to pet the kitten. Instead, he didn’t take his eyes away from it, but shook his head.

Ginny looked up and met Harry’s eyes, confused.

“You don’t wanna pet her?”

Albus shook his head again. “No. I don’t want to hurt her.”

Harry felt as if someone had reached inside his chest and squeezed his heart to nothing.

“You won’t hurt her, sweetheart,” Ginny tried to assure him. As if to prove her point, she removed one hand from holding the kitten and started gently stroking her fur. The kitten’s eyes fluttered closed and it looked as if it could fall asleep then and there.

Harry kept his eyes on Albus. He didn’t take his eyes away from the kitten once.

Outside, it started to rain, the brewing storm finally coming to fruition. Ginny looked up at the noise of it on the roof.

“I’ve got some other stuff in the car, better get it before this rain gets too heavy.” She held out the kitten to James. “Would you hold her while I go outside? I’ll be back in just a second.”

James nodded and gently took the kitten from her hands. He set it down in his lap and watched with gleeful eyes as it suddenly saw the drawstrings on his hoodie and tried to reach them and grab them with its tiny little paws.

“Keep an eye on them,” Ginny said to Harry, standing up and walking swiftly out of the room.

Harry moved to sit down more comfortably on the carpet. He would have gone to help Ginny get her things if he didn’t know her so well. She could handle whatever was in the car herself – what he really needed to be doing was being with their children and the kitten and making sure she was okay. Not that Harry had many worries. James and Lily were being sweet with her, but it was Albus that surprised him. His quietest son, his most gentle son, and he hadn’t even wanted to _touch_ the kitten for fear of hurting it. Something twinged inside his chest again.

He heard the car door opening and then shutting again, the rain getting a little heavier, and then Ginny coming in the front door.

“Merlin’s Beard,” she muttered. “It’s worse out there than I thought.”

In her hands were three bags, one of which looked as if it was filled with items for the kitten – food, bowls, toys – and the other two filled with groceries for the actual humans of the house. Harry stood up from the floor as Ginny walked into the kitchen to set the things down.

“You be gentle, okay, Jamie?” Harry looked down at his son.

“Yes, dad,” James replied, not taking his eyes off the kitten.

When Harry entered the kitchen, Ginny looked at him with narrowed eyes. They said everything that she didn’t actually need to say. _Why are you with me and not the kids?_

“They’ve got it all under control, believe me,” Harry said, grabbing one of the bags and starting to unpack it. “And if we’re afraid to leave them alone with the kitten, what was the use of getting the kitten in the first place?”

Ginny frowned. “I hate it when you’re smarter than me.”

Harry shrugged. “It doesn’t happen often. Don’t worry.”

* * *

In the living room, away from the curious gazes of their parents, the three children and the kitten were getting along swimmingly. She had ended up crawling out of James’ lap and over to Lily, and Lily had laid down with her resting on her chest.

“You are the _cutest_ baby cat I ever saw,” Lily muttered softly.

James grinned at the happy look on his sisters face and turned to Albus. He was watching Lily and the kitten too, rather inquisitively. It had worried James a little when Albus had refused to touch the kitten.

“Why didn’t you wanna pet her?” James asked softly, not sure if either of their parents could be listening in on them. He knew that if they were, Albus likely wouldn’t answer him, and he wanted his brother to be able to talk to him.

Albus shrugged a shoulder. “I could have hurt her.”

“I don’t think so,” James shook his head. “Do you wanna try again?”

“Lily has her.”

“Lily will let us have a go.”

Albus furrowed his eyebrows and then turned to look at the doorway to the living room. He couldn’t see his mum _or_ his dad, and he could hear the faint noises of the kitchen cupboards opening and closing. Figuring it wouldn’t hurt him to at least try, he nodded at James. He just didn’t want to do it when his parents were around. What if he hurt the kitten and they were disappointed in him?

“Hey, Lils, can Albus have a go?” James looked over at her.

Lily nodded eagerly, clearly wanting her brother to see what she loved about the kitten so much, and sat up, holding onto the kitten safely with a hand as she did. She passed her gently to James, who then turned and held her out to Albus.

“I don’t wanna hold her.” Albus shook his head, slightly frightened.

“That’s okay. You can just pet her.”

His hand was a little shaky when he reached out. The kitten looked at him with happy and playful eyes as he finally pet it, just on the top of its head. After a few moments, however, the kitten started making a strange noise. Albus pulled his hand away with a gasp.

“What did I do? Did I hurt her?” Tears filled in his eyes.

James shook his head instantly. “No, I think she’s purring!”

Lily gasped. “But she didn’t even purr when I had her!”

Albus looked between his brother, sister and the kitten, who was still staring at him. She’d stopped purring as soon as Albus pulled his hand away.

“It means she likes you, Al,” James said with a smile.

Gently, James lowered the kitten until she was stood on the couch in front of Albus. He was curious about where the kitten would go, though he had a feeling already. He, Albus _and_ Lily watched as the kitten carefully took small steps towards Albus. She struggled a little in climbing up onto Albus’ legs, but Albus didn’t stop her.

Albus was watching with tears still in his eyes, vision a little foggy, as the kitten walked up his leg. She sat down after finding a spot she seemed good enough, looked up at Albus, and let out a small meow.

* * *

When Harry and Ginny came back into the living room, both of them expected, at least a little, to walk into chaos. Instead, they walked in to find Lily fast asleep again, James staring at the television and Albus sat straight up, as if afraid to move, the kitten fast asleep in his lap, curled up in a small ball.

Harry raised his eyebrows. “What did we miss, Al?” He asked quietly.

Albus looked up at his parents with a small smile. “She likes me.”


End file.
